In an information processing apparatus, priorities are assigned to a plurality of central processing units (CPUS) and the CPUs transfer their respective display lists of drawing instructions to a drawing unit on a priority basis. With such a scheme, when a master CPU (Geometry Subsystem 0) is creating a display list (List #0-1) and a drawing unit (a rendering system) is in an idle state, a right to make an access to the drawing unit is handed over to a slave CPU (Geometry Subsystem 1), enabling the slave CPU to supply a display list (List 1-1) created thereby, if any, to the drawing unit. Receiving the display list (List #1-1), the drawing unit starts drawing processing in accordance with List #1-1. As the master CPU completes the creation of the display list (List #0-1), the slave CPU returns the right to make an access to the drawing unit to the master CPU, enabling the master CPU to supply List #0-1 to the drawing unit. Receiving the display list (List #0-1), the drawing unit starts drawing processing in accordance with List #0-1. Thereafter, when the master CPU is creating a display list and the drawing unit is in an idle state, a right to make an access to the drawing unit is handed over to the slave CPU (Geometry Subsystem 1), enabling the slave CPU to supply another display list created thereby, if any, to the drawing unit in the same way.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. An entertainment apparatus comprising: means for driving a recording medium; a main central processing unit (CPU); a first vector processing engine; a second vector processing engine; a main memory; a graphical processing unit interface; a graphical processing unit connected to said graphical processing unit interface; and a bus network comprising a main bus, a sub-bus and a sub-bus interface, said bus network for connecting said means for driving a recording medium, said main CPU, said first vector processing engine, said second vector processing unit, said main memory and said graphical processing unit interface to one another, wherein said main CPU is adapted to retrieve from a recording medium in said means for driving a recording medium application programs/data stored therein and to store said application programs/data in said main memory; said main CPU generates a first polygon definition information from data of a 3-dimensional object read from said recording medium in conjunction with said first vector processing engine, and provides said first polygon definition information to said main memory; said second vector processing engine generates a second polygon definition information and provides said information to said graphic processing unit interface; said graphic processing unit interface arbitrates data transfer of data including said first polygon definition information received from said main memory via said main bus and data including said second polygon definition information received from said second vector processing engine, by adjusting processing timing under the control of said main CPU such that said data will not mutually collide while transferring said data to said graphic processing unit.
2. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of said first and second vector processing engines comprises a plurality of processing elements for processing floating point real numbers, both engines carrying out floating point processing in parallel.
3. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first polygon definition information comprises non-type processing data generated from data of a 3-dimensional object which is read from said recording medium and comprises a plurality of polygons.
4. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said main CPU carries out, among other operations and in conjunction with said first vector processing engine, geometry processing that requires operations in polygon units.
5. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said main CPU and said first vector processing engine supply in packets to said main memory said first polygon definition information obtained in said processing by way of said main bus.
6. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first polygon definition information obtained in said geometry processing contains at least one of vertex information and shading mode information.
7. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first polygon definition information comprises drawing area setting information and polygon information.
8. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 7 wherein said drawing area setting information includes offset coordinates in a frame memory of a drawing area, and coordinates of a drawing clipping area for canceling an operation to draw a drawing range indicated by a polygon with coordinates thereof existing outside said drawing area.
9. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 7 wherein said polygon information includes polygon attribute information and vertex information.
10. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 9 wherein said polygon attribute information is information used to specify either one of a shading mode, an ALPHA blending mode and a texture mapping mode.
11. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 9 wherein said vertex information is either of information on coordinates in a vertex drawing area, coordinates in a vertex texture area and a color of a vertex.
12. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said second vector processing engine generates relatively simple type processing data as second polygon definition information.
13. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said second vector processing engine executes at least one of radios copy conversion for an object having a relatively simple shape, parallel light source calculation, and generation of a 2-dimensional curved surface.
14. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said graphic processing unit has a frame memory, and draws a polygon image based on said first polygon definition information and said second polygon definition information supplied thereto by way of said graphic processing interface.
15. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said graphic processing unit has a frame memory for use as a texture memory, and executes texture mapping processing to stick as a texture a pixel image in said frame memory onto a polygon.
16. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a main direct memory access controller (DMAC), and wherein said DMAC controls direct memory access (DMA) transfers to and from said main CPU, said first vector processing engine, said second vector processing unit, said main memory and said graphical processing unit interface connected to said main bus.
17. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a moving picture experts group (MPEG) decoder, and wherein said MPEG decoder operates concurrently with said main CPU, decompressing data which has been compressed in accordance with an MPEG system or a joint photographic experts group (JPEG) system.
18. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein: said main CPU comprises a CPU core, an instruction cache, a scratch pad random access memory (RAM), and a data cache; said CPU core executes predetermined instructions; said instruction cache temporarily stores instructions to be supplied to said CPU core; said scratch pad RAM stores results of processing carried out by said CPU core; and said data cache temporarily stores data to be used by said CPU core during execution of said predetermined instructions.
19. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 16 wherein said first vector processing engine comprises: a floating point vector processor unit and an embedded memory operated by a microprogram; and a micromemory; wherein said first vector processing engine performs high speed operations on data stored in internal registers and said embedded memory in accordance with programs stored in said micromemory.
20. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 19 wherein said first vector processing engine includes a packet expander for expanding microcodes supplied thereto in accordance with control executed by said main DMAC into microinstructions to be stored in said micromemory and expanding a packet of packed data to be stored in said embedded memory.
21. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first vector processor engine comprises a floating multiple adder calculation unit and a divider.
22. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said main memory is adapted to store data of a 3-dimensional object and provides said 3-dimensional object data to said first and second vector processing engines as needed.
23. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said main memory includes a memory FIFO (MFIFO) and said main memory temporarily stores therein a display list created jointly by said main CPU and said first vector processing engine until said second vector processing engine enters an idle state, and thereafter supplies said list to a graphic processing unit through said main bus.
24. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said main CPU and said first vector processing engine jointly creates a matrix to be processed by said second vector processing engine, and stores said matrix in said main memory and said second vector processing engine makes a display list using said matrix.
25. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said graphic processing unit holds a graphic context for non-type processing and a graphic context for type processing, said graphic context for non-type processing adapted to process a first display list for non-type processing supplied from said first vector processing engine by way of said graphic processing unit interface, and said graphic context for type processing adapted to process a second display list for type processing supplied from said second vector processing engine.
26. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein: a first display list created jointly by said main CPU and said first vector processing engine, and a second display list created by said second vector processing engine are stored temporarily in said graphic processing unit interface; and said graphic processing unit interface arbitrates transfer of said first and second display lists to said graphic processing unit on a time division basis.
27. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 26 wherein said graphic processing unit has a frame memory and executes drawing processing based on the display lists supplied thereto by said graphic processing unit interface, thereby drawing polygons on said frame memory.
28. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 27 wherein: said graphic processing unit comprises a CRT controller; and said polygon drawn on said frame memory is converted into a corresponding output video signal in accordance with the control of said CRT controller.
29. An entertainment apparatus comprising: a main CPU; a first vector processing engine; a second vector processing engine; a main memory; a graphical processing unit interface; a main bus for connecting said main CPU, said first vector processing engine, said second vector processing unit, said main memory and said graphical processing unit interface to one another a recording medium drive; a sub-CPU; a sub-memory; a ROM; an input unit; a sound processing unit; a sub-bus for connecting said means for driving a recording medium, said sub-CPU, said sub-memory, said ROM, said input unit and said sound processing unit to one another; and a sub-bus interface for connecting said main bus and said sub-bus, wherein said main CPU is adapted to retrieve from a recording medium in said means for driving a recording medium application programs/data stored therein and to store said application programs/data in said main memory; said main CPU generates a first polygon definition information from data of a 3-dimensional object read from said recording medium in conjunction with said first vector processing engine, and provides said first polygon definition information to said main memory; said second vector processing engine generates a second polygon definition information and provides said information to said graphic processing unit interface; said graphic processing unit interface arbitrates data transfer of data including said first polygon definition information received from said main memory via said main bus and said second polygon definition information received from said second vector processing engine, by adjusting processing timing under the control of said main CPU such that said data will not mutually collide while transferring said data to said graphic processing unit.
30. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 29 wherein said sub-CPU carries out processing by executing programs stored in said ROM.
31. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 29 further comprising a sub-direct memory access controller (sub-DMAC) connected with said sub-bus, said sub-DMAC controlling direct memory access transfers to and from said recording medium drive, said sub-CPU, said sub-memory and said ROM connected to said sub-bus only when said sub-bus interface is disconnected from said main bus and said sub-bus.
32. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 29 wherein: said sound controller includes a sound memory; and said sound controller retrieves sound data associated with a sound command supplied from either one of said sub-CPU and said sub-DMAC, and provides said sound data as an audio output.
33. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 29 further comprising a communication control unit (ATM) connected to a public communication line for transmitting and receiving data.
34. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 29 wherein said input unit includes at least one of a connector terminal, a video input circuit, and an audio input circuit, said connector terminal connecting an operation unit to said entertainment system, said video input circuit and said audio input circuit providing said entertainment apparatus with sound data and audio data, respectively, received from respective external devices.
35. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 29 wherein each of said first and second vector processing engines comprises a plurality of processing elements for processing floating point real numbers, both engines carrying out floating point processing in parallel.
36. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 29 wherein said first polygon definition information is non-type processing data generated from data of a 3-dimensional object which is read from said recording medium and comprises a plurality of polygons.
37. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 29 wherein said main CPU carries out, among other operations and in conjunction with said first vector processing engine, geometry processing that requires operations in polygon units.
38. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 29 wherein said main CPU and said first vector processing engine supply in packets to said main memory said first polygon definition information obtained in said processing by way of said main bus.
39. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 29 wherein said first polygon definition information obtained in said geometry processing contains at least one of vertex information and shading mode information.
40. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 29 wherein said first polygon definition information comprises drawing area setting information and polygon information.
41. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 40 wherein said drawing area setting information includes offset coordinates in a frame memory of a drawing area, and coordinates of a drawing clipping area for canceling an operation to draw a drawing range indicated by a polygon with coordinates thereof existing outside said drawing area.
42. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 40 wherein said polygon information includes polygon attribute information and vertex information.
43. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 42 wherein said polygon attribute information is information used to specify either one of a shading mode, an ALPHA blending mode and a texture mapping mode.
44. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 42 wherein said vertex information is either one of information on coordinates in a vertex drawing area, coordinates in a vertex texture area and a color of a vertex.
45. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 29 wherein said second vector processing engine generates relatively simple type processing data as second polygon definition information.
46. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 29 wherein said second vector processing engine executes at least one of radios copy conversion for an object having a relatively simple shape, parallel light source calculation, and generation of a 2-dimensional curved surface.
47. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 29 wherein said graphic processing unlit has a frame memory, and draws a polygon image based on said first polygon definition information and said second polygon definition information supplied thereto by way of said graphic processing interface.
48. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 29 wherein said graphic processing unit has a frame memory for use as a texture memory, and executes texture mapping processing to stick as a texture a pixel image in said frame memory onto a polygon.
49. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 29 further comprising a main direct memory access controller (DMAC), and wherein said DMAC controls direct memory access (DMA) transfers to and from said main CPU, said first vector processing engine, said second vector processing unit, said main memory and said graphical processing unit interface connected to said main bus.
50. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 29 further comprising a moving picture experts group (MPEG) decoder, and wherein said MPEG decoder operates concurrently with said main CPU, decompressing data which has been compressed in accordance with an MPEG system or a joint photographic experts group (JPEG) system.
51. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 29 wherein said main CPU comprises a CPU core, an instruction cache, a scratch pad random access memory (RAM), and a data cache; said CPU core executes predetermined instructions; said instruction cache temporarily stores instructions to be supplied to said CPU core; said scratch pad RAM stores results of processing carried out by said CPU core; and said data cache temporarily stores data to be used by said CPU core during execution of said predetermined instructions.
52. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 49 wherein said first vector processing engine comprises: a floating point vector processor unit and an embedded memory (MEM) operated by a microprogram; and a micromemory; wherein said first vector processing engine performing high speed operations on data stored in internal registers and said embedded memory in accordance with programs stored in said micromemory.
53. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 52 herein said first vector processing engine includes a packet expander for expanding microcodes supplied thereto in accordance with control executed by said main DMAC into microinstructions to be stored in said micromemory, and expanding a packet of packed data to be stored in said embedded memory.
54. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 29 wherein said first vector processor engine comprises a floating multiple adder calculation unit and a divider.
55. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 29 wherein said main memory is adapted to store data of a 3-dimensional object and to provide said 3-dimensional object data to said first and second vector processing engines as needed.
56. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 29 wherein: said main memory includes a memory FIFO; and said main memory temporarily stores therein a display list created jointly by said main CPU and said first vector processing engine until said second vector processing engine enters an idle state, and thereafter supplies said list to a graphic processing unit through said main bus.
57. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 29 wherein: said main CPU and said first vector processing engine jointly creates a matrix to be processed by said second vector processing engine, and stores said matrix in said main memory; and said second vector processing engine makes a display list using said matrix.
58. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 29 wherein said graphic processing unit holds a graphic context for non-type processing and a graphic context for type processing, said graphic context for non-type processing adapted to process a first display list for non-type processing supplied from said first vector processing engine by way of said graphic processing unit interface, and said graphic context for type processing adapted to process a second display list for type processing supplied from said second vector processing engine.
59. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 29 wherein: a first display list created jointly by said main CPU and said first vector processing engine, and a second display list created by said second vector processing engine are stored temporarily in said graphic processing unit interface; and said graphic processing unit interface arbitrates transfer of said first and second display lists to said graphic processing unit on a time division basis.
60. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 59 wherein said graphic processing unit has a frame memory and executes drawing processing based on the display lists supplied thereto by said graphic processing unit interface, thereby drawing polygons on said frame memory.
61. The entertainment apparatus as set forth in claim 60 wherein said graphic processing unit comprises a CRT controller and said polygon drawn on said frame memory is converted into a corresponding output video signal in accordance with the control of said CRT controller.
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July 11, 2000
October 16, 2001
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